Garnish Your Old Fashioned Like A Wisconsinite
Regardless of how you like your old fashioned, theres one thing you dont want to skip, and thats the garnish. If you order an old fashioned at a bar in Wisconsin, youll be asked what kind of garnish you want.
Cherries are an obvious choice , but lots of people choose olives or pickled mushrooms. Good bars will even stock pickled Brussels sprouts, so you could choose that as well.
If youre making these drinks at home, cherries and olives are a great start. If you like and will use the pickled mushrooms, get those, too.
The Dos And Donts Of The Brandy Old Fashioned
Dont overthink your choice of brandyKorbel isnt highbrow, but more than a century of drinkers cant be wrong. If it aint broke…
Do muddleIf you want more fruit flavor and a slightly smoother Old Fashioned.
Dont muddleIf you like to taste your booze and prefer a drink with a little more bite. Do know your optionsYou can customize your Old Fashioned. Sweet comes with a splash of Sprite/7UP, sour with Squirt/sour, and press is topped with a splash of both Sprite/7UP and club soda.
Why We Love A Brandy Old Fashioned In Wisconsin
From these unconventional brandy old fashioned cocktails to chicken booyah and deep fried cheese curds, there are so many awesome traditions that make our state unique.
A traditional old fashioned cocktail uses whiskey, but in Wisconsin, theyre commonly made with brandy. The reasons arent really clear, since most of this sort of stuff gets lost to history.
Popular theories are that brandy was more familiar to German immigrants and that brandy was more readily available during prohibition times, but Ill leave the historical internet research to you. Just know that you can order your old fashioned with either brandy or whiskey and no one will think twice about it.
Another thing that makes a Wisconsin old fashioned different than its more widespread counterpart is the wash. A wash is basically when you add soda or seltzer to a cocktail after mixing it. Ive described the different ways we use this wash below, and you can choose whichever option you like best.
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Tell Me About: Wisconsin Brandy Old Fashioneds
Level of difficulty: Easy to moderate. Making the perfect Wisconsin Brandy Old Fashioned Sweet isnt difficult, but if you dont have basic cocktail gear , youll have to improvise a bit.
Flavor: Two main flavors shine through this classic cocktail: boozy brandy and sweet fruit.
Texture: Smooth with a crisp fizz from the lemon-lime soda.
Time: From start-to-finish, it will take you approximately five minutes to mix up this Wisconsin Brandy Old Fashioned recipe.
Making It Your Own Without Ruining It
Theres nothing wrong with making a nouveau version of your favorite classic drink. But the Old Fashioned is pretty perfect in its simplicity, so youre walking a thin line when you start to alter the recipe. Christopher thinks theres nothing wrong with a little experimentation, though, so long as the changes arent too drastic. Playing with the bitters and syrups will allow subtle flavor changes while still remaining true to the Old Fashioned, he says. Approaching fall, I like to make a nice toasted pecan demerara syrup and pair that with chicory pecan bitters.
- Cookie Settings
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Pro Tips For Making This Recipe
- While some recipes may call for soda water or water added to the sugar cubes, I skip it so as not to dilute the cocktail.
- Avoid adding too many dashes of bitters to the glass as itll overpower the bourbon flavors.
- Dont skip the sugar as the sweetness opens the bourbons aroma.
- When cutting the orange peel, make sure there is as little pith as possible as itll taste bitter.
- To help your drink stay cold longer, you can place your glasses in the freezer beforehand. If you didnt put the glasses in the freezer early enough, you can also fill the glasses with some water and place them in the freezer while preparing to make the drink for a quick chill.
- Feel free to double or triple the recipe, just be sure to use a larger glass to mix your ingredients together.
- Using a large ice cube is ideal as it melts slower and slows the dilution of the drink.
- A Luxardo cherry makes a great garnish for an Old Fashioned. Place it on a toothpick on the glass, or add it to the drink and stir.
Where Did This Delectable Drink Come From
Wisconsin drinks more brandy than any other state Korbel has even reported that more than half of its world-wide sales go straight to Wisconsin. The popular myth explaining this phenomenon goes something like this: In 1893, the Worlds Columbian Exposition was in Chicago. Since it was just a train ride away, a lot of Wisconsinites were in attendance. German immigrants in this area already had a taste for brandy, and they latched onto Korbels product.
Jeanette Hurt, author of Wisconsin Cocktails, found another answer in her research. The story distills down to brandy being in the right place at the right time: Whisky was hard to get due to Prohibition and WWII, but the Christian Brothers had a stash of brandy on hand. Well-made brandy was favored over sub-par liquors, so more and more was distributed to Wisconsin until finally September was declared Wisconsin Brandy Old Fashioned Month last year.
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Garnish Your Brandy Old Fashioned Like A Wisconsinite
Regardless of how you like your old fashioned, theres one thing you dont want to skip, and thats the garnish. If you order an old fashioned at a bar in Wisconsin, youll be asked what kind of garnish you want. Cherries are an obvious choice , but lots of people choose olives or pickled mushrooms. Good bars will even stock pickled Brussels sprouts, so you could choose that as well.
If youre making these drinks at home, cherries and olives are a great start. If you like and will use the pickled mushrooms, get those, too.
Instructions For Making Blackberry Brandy
1. Pick as many ripe blackberries as you can get your little hands on. Rinse well, and pick off any stems and leaves. Dont remove the overripe berries, theyll just add sweetnessmmmm
Gather ingredients: Berries, sugar, large glass jar or crock.
Drawing by Stephanie Henkel
2. Get a large glass or crockery jar or crock with lid. I like those big, gallon size glass jars that pickles come in. Have some plastic wrap handy.
3. Wash the crock or jar with hot soapy water and rinse well.
4. Now put a layer of blackberries in the bottom. This layer should be about an inch high.
Layer blackberries and sugar in a large glass jar or crock. Cover with plastic wrap. Lay the lid loosely on top and store in dark place.
Drawing by Stephanie Henkel
5. Sprinkle a layer of sugar over the blackberries. If youre using a gallon sized jar, use about a cup of sugar. This is not an exact sciencea little more or less wont make a whole lot of difference!
6. Put in another layer of blackberries followed by a layer of sugar.
7. Repeat layers until jar is about 1-2 inches from the top. The final layer should be sugar. Depending on the size of your jar or crock, you should have used about 3 lbs. of sugar. If you think you havent used enough, just sprinkle it on top.
After fermentation is complete, strain brandy through cheesecloth into bottles or Mason Jars.
Drawing by Stephanie Henkel
Be Sure Fermentation Has Stopped Before Bottling!
Enjoy a sip! Enjoy your homemade Blackberry Brandy!
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Whats A Wisconsin Old Fashioned
The Wisconsin Old Fashioned is the states variation on the classic Old Fashioned cocktail, with brandy and lemon lime soda. The typical Old Fashioned recipe uses bourbon mixed with a muddled sugar cube and bitters. So where did the brandy Old Fashioned come from?
Heres the theory! A company of brothers debuted their Korbel brandy at the Worlds Fair in 1893 in Chicago, which lots of Wisconsinites attended. A large percentage of Wisconsin at the time was German, and Germans preferred brandy over bourbon. Korbel brandy become a hit, and birthed this states funky variation on the classic cocktail. To this day, the drink is often served with Korbel brandy! The ingredients in a Wisconsin Old Fashioned are:
What Alcohol Is Best For Old
The Best Whiskeys to Use for Old Fashioneds
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Blackberry Brandyeasier Than Pie
Like many fruits and berries, blackberries have a pretty short season. If youre lucky enough to live in a place where you can pick your own fresh berries in fields or hedgerows, you can preserve the flavor of those luscious berries by making jams and preserves. For an extra special treat, how about some Blackberry Brandy?
Making your own blackberry brandy is easier than making a blackberry pie!
Warning: When picking wild berries, make sure you get them from a place that has not been sprayed with weed killers or pesticides!
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How To Make A Wisconsin Brandy Old Fashioned
Muddle the flavors. In an old fashioned glass, muddle an orange slice, maraschino cherry with a little bit of grenadine from the jar, sugar cube and a few dashes of bitters. Traditionally, Angostura bitters are used, but you can use another flavor if you want.
Add brandy and ice. On top of your muddled ingredients, add in 1 jigger of brandy . Stir the liquor around, and fill your glass with ice.
Top it off and garnish. Read below to find out how we customize and garnish a brandy old fashioned in Wisconsin.
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A Brandy Old Fashioned
Why brandy?
Apparently at the Chicago Worlds Fair in 1893, a new brandy distiller from California called Korbel was sampling their spirits.
Korbel began pouring the classic Old Fashioned whiskey cocktail using brandy, and the German crowd from Milwaukee took to the brandy and the cocktail in a big way.
Directions How To Make A Brandy Old Fashioned Sweet
Tips
- I recommend getting large ice cube molds the larger the ice the less it melts and waters down the drink.
- If you want to make a Brandy Old Fashioned Sour use grapefruit soda, like 50/50 or Squirt instead of Sprite.
- If you are looking for an alcohol free version, check out this Virgin Old Fashioned recipe.
More cocktails to try:
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Why Dont You Shake A Martini
For a martini, there is no citrus in the mix, and both the gin and the vermouth intermingle well when you stir. Shaking not only mixes ingredients, it also dilutes and aerates it. A shaken martini gets diluted too fast and gets too much air mixed into it. The result is a slightly frothy and watered down drink.
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Where Did This Drink Even Come From
According to John Dye, owner of Bryants Cocktail Lounge in Milwaukee and resident booze historian, Korbel owes the Badger State big time.
Milwaukee had a big role in the Chicago Worlds Fair of 1893 and many of the brandy-thirsty Germans attended, Dye explains. One of the exhibitors was a domestic brandy from California named Korbel. Story has it that the Germans in Milwaukee took to Korbel in a big way. As the rest of the country was starting to turn to whiskey, Wisconsin turned to brandy. It makes sense that the Old Fashioned, which was a popular whiskey cocktail at the time, would be made with brandy in Wisconsin. Things here dont change too quickly, so we just kept making them with brandy.
Korbel becomes a huge player in the brandy industry and Wisconsinites create a signature cocktail. Everybody wins.
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How To Make A Brandy Old Fashioned:
Just like my basil cocktail, this is a muddled drink.
In a double old fashioned glass , muddle the cherries, cherry juice, orange slice, sugar and bitters until everything is crushed and somewhat blended together.
Add the brandy and stir until everything is well combined and the sugar completely dissolves into the brandy.
Fill your glass with ice, and then top everything off with lemon-lime soda .
Wisconsin Brandy Old Fashioned Cocktails
What is a Brandy Old-fashioned
What is a Brandy Old Fashioned?
Whiskey Cocktail – Original Classic Old Fashioned
- 1/2 teaspoon Refined Sugar or one Sugar Cube
- 2-3 dashes Angostura Bitters
- 1 tablespoon Water
- 2 oz. whiskey, bourbon or rye
First you are going to put the first three ingredients in an old fashioned glass . Crush the sugar with your muddler. Add a small amount of ice and stir. Then sit and sip.
Wisconsin Brandy Old Fashioned
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These 10 Former Brewery
Prohibition ended nearly 90 years ago, but the drink recipe stuck. Wisconsinites still consume half of the brandy produced by Korbel each year, most of it in Old-Fashioneds. And while the dairy industry may have gotten milk declared the state drink back in the 80s, Wisconsin has the nations third highest number of bars per capita in the country, and you betcha nobody is ordering a glass of low-fat in any of those places.
There are two things every bar in Wisconsin has to have: Miller beer and Korbel brandy, says Berman. Your run-of-the-mill bar might not even know how to make what people from elsewhere think of as an Old-Fashioned.
The Tin Widow doesnt list a Wisconsin Old-Fashioned on its drink menu the bars version of the classic cocktail is a hybrid of both the local and normal styles a bourbon Old-Fashioned stirred with housemade sour mix. Its the bars most popular drink, but Berman knows better than to deny customers the opportunity to order the cocktail that, to Wisconsin residents, feels like home.
We stock 250 whiskeys, more than 200 gins and one brandy Korbel, he says.
Wisconsin Old-Fashioned made with Central Standard brandy Photo courtesy of Jon Wolf – The Rally Co.
In a minor act of heresy, Central Standard has made a bid to find a home in local liquor cabinets for its own North Wisconsin brandy as the base liquor for making a Wisconsin Old-Fashioned.
Brandy Old Fashioned Sweet
A brandy old fashioned sweet is a classic Wisconsin Supper Club cocktail. Made with maraschino cherries, oranges, sugar, bitters, brandy, and lemon-lime soda, this vintage cocktail recipe is a must-try!
Is it too early to have a guest writer? Since my husband is Mr. Wisconsin, this drink is near and dear to his heart. He had a lot he wanted me to tell you about this classic cocktail recipeso he guest-wrote the below introduction on making the PERFECT Brandy Old Fashioned Sweet.
Every stage of life has its own drink. When youre in your early 20s, you might have gone with cheap beer, party mixers like Jack & Coke, and Trader Joes Two Buck Chuck because, frankly, it was all you could afford! By your late 20s, you maybe earn a bit more money and some of your debts are paid off, so youve moved on to nice craft beer and *gasp* a $15 bottle of wine! By the time you reach your 30s , a nice cocktail is the only way to go. Perhaps spurred on by hits like Mad Men, classic cocktails have been in vogue for the past few years in particular, the Old Fashioned is back in a big way.
The truth is, though, in Wisconsin, we never stopped drinking them. Its not back in style because it never fell out of style here! That being said, if Don Draper walked into Wisconsin supper club and ordered an Old Fashioned, hed be a bit surprised by what the barkeep would hand him.
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The Beauty Of An Old Fashioned Lies In Its Simplicity
It consists of brandy, a couple sweeteners, and a little bit of love, by which we mean muddling. Theyve been a Wisconsin staple for generations and figure to stay that way far into the future. Theyre right at home at taverns and tailgates, bowling alleys and bingo halls. And, of course, the best place of all: your drinking hand.
Do: Be Tactful With Bitters
An Old Fashioned calls for two to three dashes of bittersno more, no lessthat are added to the glass once the sugar or simple syrup is in. While the amount seems small, having too many or too few dashes can dramatically change the taste makeup of the drink. The type and quality of bitters matters too. Angostura bitters are always a safe and excellent choice, but orange bitters also work well.
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Why Is The Wisconsin Old Fashioned Made With Brandy
Fun fact, Wisconsin is the #1 consumer of brandy in the U.S. according to Korbel. You may know that Wisconsin is most definitely not the #1 most populous state in the U.S and I like to think its high ranking in brandy consumption is due to the unofficial cocktail.
According to the Green Bay Gazette brandy became very popular during the war when grain was being shipped to feed Europe and it basically has stuck around ever since.